Name the Orator

On a recommendation, I recently came across this in part of a speech.

Read these statements and try to name the person associated with making these comments:

U.S. policy must be clear and unequivocal. We cannot, we should not, we must not, permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons. And in dealing with this threat as I have said for a very long time, no option can be taken off the table.

But Iran is a threat not only because of the hateful rhetoric spewed by its president, not only because of its nuclear ambitions, but because it uses its influence and its revenues in the region to support terrorist elements that are attacking innocent Israelis; and now we believe attacking American soldiers. Hezbollah's attacks on Israel this summer using Iranian weapons clearly demonstrate Iran's malevolent influence even beyond its borders.

...It is not enough for us to say the right things; we've got to be smart and tough enough to do the right things that will protect American and Israeli interests now and forever.


Hmmm... George Bush? No. Dick Cheney? No. Condoleeza Rice? ...No.

It was Hillary Clinton speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on February 1, 2007.

It gives one pause, doesn't it?

Official's Key Report On Iraq Is Faulted

'Dubious' Intelligence Fueled Push for War

Washington Post: "The bottom line is that intelligence relating to the Iraq-al-Qaeda relationship was manipulated by high-ranking officials in the Department of Defense to support the administration's decision to invade Iraq," Sen. Carl Levin said yesterday. "The inspector general's report is a devastating condemnation of inappropriate activities in the DOD policy office that helped take this nation to war."

Tell us something we don't already know. We all know the intelligence was cooked. But sooner or later, heads had better start rolling or else all these investigations and hearings are for naught.

Anna Nicole Smith 1967-2007

Anna Nicole Smith reportedly collapsed in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, and was rushed to a hospital about 2 p.m. EST but was pronounced dead.
The cause of death will be determined by the Broward County medical examiner.
She was 39 years old.

The Pelosi Plane Fiasco

I'm watching C-Span today and am amazed that the Republicans in the House, especially this little pissant Patrick McHenry from North Carolina, are whining about this story.

Republicans are taking issue with the size of the plane Pelosi would need to fly in to reach her hometown of San Francisco without refueling. There are three Air Force airplanes that have the fuel capacity to make the trip nonstop, with the largest being a C-32 plane, a military version of the Boeing 757-200.

This is in response to story in the Washington Times published February 1, entitled “Speaker pursues military flights,” which claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had been “pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district.” Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) also used military aircraft to travel to his district. However, the Times reported, Pelosi is “demanding permanent access to a large military jet for herself, her staff, other Members and supporters.”

Here are the facts as checked by Think Progress:

1) The House Sergeant at Arms, not Pelosi, initiated inquiries into the use of military aircraft. House Sergeant at Arms Wilson Livingood, who has served in his position since 1995, released a statement today clarifying the facts. He writes, “In December 2006, I advised Speaker Pelosi that the US Air Force had made an airplane available to Speaker Hastert for security and communications purposes following September 11, 2001.” Additionally, Livingood writes, “I offered to call the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense to seek clarification of the guidelines [which governed Speaker Hastert’s use of a plane].”

2) A larger plane was requested because Hastert’s plane required refueling to travel cross-country. The Washington Times says a larger plane was requested to accomodate Pelosi, “her staff, other Members and supporters.” That’s not true. In fact, the plane used by Speaker Hastert was too small for Pelosi since it “needs to refuel every 2,000 miles and could not make the nonstop haul to California. ‘The Air Force determined that [Pelosi’s] safety would be best ensured by using a plane that has the fuel capacity to go coast-to-coast,’” a Pelosi spokesperson said.

Well, guess what?

The White House on Thursday defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi against Republican criticism that her desire to fly in an Air Force transport plane is an extravagance.
"This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

I especially love Barney Frank's comment, no doubt in reference to Shorty McHenry.

UPDATE: "The Pelosi smear: Stupid -- but kind of entertaining" by Eric Boehlert

Flip Flop... Flip?

In a letter distributed yesterday evening to Senate leaders, John Warner (Va.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and five other GOP supporters of the resolution threatened to attach their measure to any bill sent to the floor in the coming weeks.

Too little, too late, jackasses. These are the same people (except for Norm Coleman and Susan Collins) that voted to block debate on their own resolutions just two days before.

What a sad waste of time... Did you see that? Another helicopter went down. Ooh, did you hear that loud noise? Another car bomb exploded in another marketplace killing yet more and more innocent men, women and children. I guess we can wait and stall and play more political games. What's the rush?

Chris F*%cking Matthews

Chris Matthews went on a rant and accidentally let an expletive fly on Imus in the Morning. It was caught on radio and censored out but MSNBC missed it. Imus' reaction was very funny.

Baggage Claim

I guess you'd have to categorize this one under "lost luggage." And exactly who is running the Federal Reserve?

Over $12 billion in bills weighing a total of 363 tons were loaded onto military aircraft in the largest cash shipments ever made by the Federal Reserve, said Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. "Who in their right mind would send 360 tons of cash into a war zone? But that's exactly what our government did," the California Democrat said during a hearing reviewing possible waste, fraud and abuse of funds in Iraq.

L. Paul Bremer, who as the administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority ran Iraq after initial combat operations ended, said the enormous shipments were done at the request of the Iraqi minister of finance.

"...These shipments were made at the explicit request of the Iraqi minister of finance to forward fund government expenses, a perfectly, seems to me, legitimate use of his money."

Click on photo for video

So in essence, we invade a country, destroy their infrastructure, seize their assets, install a puppet government that can't even handle secure banking transactions, send shipments of CASH into the middle of Iraq during a WAR which most likely the insurgency, that we're sending our troops into battle against, got their hands on.

No receipt needed. Bremmy, you're doin' a huckuva job.

UPDATE: Also read Melinda Henneberger: Bremer Paid "Ghost Employees" To Avoid "Real Trouble"

Obama To Quit Smoking

Well, THANK GOD! I don't know about you, but I don't know if having a presidential candidate who smokes (gasp!) is something that this country would be able to tolerate.

I mean what's next? First it's smoking, then alcoholism, then cocaine abuse and finally pretzel abuse!

No real leader would have a vice like smoking, would they?

GOP Blocks Senate Debate on Iraq

Well, there it is. Only two Republicans, Norm Coleman and Susan Collins, voted to debate the issue of opposing the escalation in Iraq. Senators Warner and Hagel, who bloviated for weeks, wasting valuable time and spending taxpayer dollars in the process, voted with the party line. How can you work for weeks on a resolution and then vote against having a debate on it?

The GOP leader Mitch McConnell claims it is in the interest of fairness that other amendments be heard. Well, hell! Why not have all 100 Senators propose amendments so they can debate this thing for the next two years while American troops die, get their limbs blown off and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis continue to be slaughtered?!

“Senator McConnell led his Republican troops off the cliff,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Harry Reid changed his vote and sided with Republicans in a procedural move to allow him the option to reopen the issue.

Ted Kennedy's Minimum Wage Rant

I know this is old news, but if you haven't caught it, you can't miss Ted Kennedy on the Senate floor wondering what the problem is with the Republican's dragging their feet on a minimum wage vote. This was before it actually passed along with an $8.3 billion amendment package that includes tax breaks to small business owners. A lot better than 70 amendments and the $276 billion in tax breaks the Rethuglicans originally proposed.

Kennedy: "What is the price that you want from these working men and women?! What cost? How much more do we have to give to the private sector and to business?!... WHEN DOES THE GREED STOP?!"

Feinstein Warns GOP

Senator Diane Feinstein warned the GOP (that would be the Grafters, Obstructionists and Pimps Party) not to block legislation on the Warner-Levin (non-binding) Resolution "disapproving" of the troop "increase" in Iraq.

"This is not tolerable, in a situation where it's the number one topic in the nation and the Republican party prevents the Senate" from debate, Feinstein declared on CNN's "Late Edition" program.
"If we can't get this done, you can be sure that a month or so down the pike, there's going to be much stronger legislation," she said.

The vote whether to debate this or not will happen today. 60 votes are needed to to bring a proposal up for debate. There are only 50 Democrats in the Senate, one of which, S.D. Senator Tim Johnson is still seriously ill and the Independent Joe Lieberman, Conn., who supposedly caucuses with the Dems, is a dickhead. By the way, nice going on his re-election Connecticut.